The following transcript has been edited for clarity.

Hello, I'm Riad Sherif, MD, the CEO of Oculis. I’m very happy to be here at the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) 2026 meeting. AAO 2026 is a really important moment for us. We are, in fact, the only sponsor and partner for the Neuro-Ophthalmology Subspecialty Day. As you know, neuro-ophthalmology is a core area for us, thanks to privosegtor (OCS-05).

Privosegtor is a neuroprotective candidate that showed very promising results in the phase 2 ACUITY trial, where privosegtor improved vision for patients by 18 letters more compared with steroids alone; improved or preserved retinal anatomy by preserving the neurons we have in the retina, which are retinal ganglion cells; and also reduced neurofilament release, which means less axonal damage. So, very promising results from ACUITY.

Now privosegtor is in a phase 3 program. The first phase 3 trial is called PIONEER-1, and it’s already started. We are randomizing patients. But really, in advance, I would like to thank all investigators and all partners from the neuro-ophthalmology community who are helping us and are actively involved, directly or indirectly, in the PIONEER program.

PIONEER is an important program for us. We are starting with PIONEER-1, which is a study in optic neuritis. We will have PIONEER-2, which is starting, in fact. PIONEER-1 has started, PIONEER-2 is starting, and PIONEER-3 will start after. So therefore, it’s a long commitment to neuro-ophthalmology to potentially provide the first neuroprotective drug in neuro-ophthalmology, starting with optic neuritis, but also a very long partnership with the neuro-ophthalmology community in the United States and in other countries beyond the United States to build up a neuroprotective franchise.

Thank you and enjoy the congress. RP